I've been in sort of a reading slump for the last four days, where I would wake up and just not feel like reading. But today I woke up feeling invigorated and ready to read again. It was such a relief, because I was really started to worry that I might have burned out for good. But, I watched a lot of TV last night, bought a season (or two) of Dallas DVDs online, and now I'm feeling fresh and ready to face the page again. Balance, it's all about balance. I just don't think I'm meant to be one of those people who does nothing but read - I need to have shallow experiences too (and yes I do realize how absurd I sound by saying that).
Today's book, "After the death of his father, 10 year-old Patrick is sent to live with his eccentric Aunt Mame. Mame, all glitter and martinis, raises her nephew in a world filled with acceptance and her oddball literati friends. Nothing is too bohemian. This unfolds in colorful episodic segments that allow us to watch Patrick grow as Mame oversees his unusual upbringing while she juggles a few spouses and an extended household."
Shallow thoughts:
- I love the movie version of Auntie Mame - except for that weird middle part that's kind of boring - so I decided to read the book. And I loved it. The only downside to the book was that it didn't contain my favorite scene from the movie in which Partick's trustee, Mr. Babcock, stops by to visit and expresses his disgust that ten year-old Patrick knows how to mix a martini. To this Auntie Mame replies, "Mr. Babcock, knowledge is power."
- But that one little downside was balanced out by the main advantage the book has over the movie, the middle part is just as good as the rest of the book. The movie is really good in the beginning, then it gets boring for about 25 minutes, and then it's really good at the end. I've never seen a movie do that before. Usually when it starts to get boring, it's all downhill from there (like the movie The Doughgirls, which was the worst movie I've ever seen in my life and that includes the time I watched The Barney Movie).
- I got today's book from the library, and the person who read it before me was so very helpful in rewriting several of the sentences for me. I can understand that, I mean I'm sure the author didn't really intend to say "which Auntie Mame said to scratch out and forget about." Clearly what she really meant to say was, "and later told me to scratch them out and forget it." Because apparently, there's a huge difference between those two statements, a difference that MUST BE POINTED OUT. Pardon my sarcasm dear readers, it just really annoys me when people write in other people's books.
- Fun fact for the day: Auntie Mame was loosely based on a the author's Aunt. I always thought the story was completely true, but it turns out that the character of Mame is based on Patrick's real-life Aunt, but Patrick's parents were really alive and he never actually lived with his Aunt. I feel so disillusioned.
